Back in 1978, I was admitted to Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Chapter 463 McDonnell Douglas's Transformation from Identity Verification to Collaboration

Teng!
Mitchell Hills stood up again, his face full of anger: "Do menial tasks? We, McDonnell Douglas, are a large, long-established aerospace company! We've manufactured a lot of advanced equipment. Your Northwestern Polytechnical University has only been around for a few years. What right do you have to ask us to do menial tasks?"

His pride stemming from McDonnell Douglas made him unable to control his anger any longer. If Easterners are so arrogant, then let's have a competition and let them know the gap between them and McDonnell Douglas!
"Advanced equipment? Great, then tell me, what advanced equipment does your McDonnell Douglas company have?"

"The F/A-18, which has just been finalized for the Navy, is a modern carrier-based fighter jet capable of ground attack, long-range interception, and air combat..."

"Can it cruise at supersonic speeds?"

Hills fell silent.

Can you become invisible?

Hills remained silent.

"Can it perform super-maneuverable maneuvers?"

"Don't use the standards of fourth-generation fighters to judge our third-generation fighters. The fighters that Northwestern Polytechnical University has successfully developed are also third-generation fighters, aren't they?"

"That's right, we're developing a third-generation fighter jet, but our twin-engine Q-6 can fly at supersonic speeds! As for stealth and super maneuverability... sorry, they're too advanced to demonstrate." Qin Liang rolled his eyes at the other person: "In a few months, during the military parade, you'll see just how powerful Northwestern Polytechnical University's technology is."

In terms of stealth, Northwestern Polytechnical University has the richest technological reserves. Needless to say, Lockheed Martin is cooperating with them, and even the US Navy is cooperating with them. They are all looking at the strength that Dongfang has accumulated in the field of stealth. As for maneuverability... it depends entirely on the engine. As long as Dongfang overcomes the engine difficulty... with the help of Rolls-Royce, it should not be difficult.

So, in terms of fighter jets, we're actually inferior to the East?

McDonnell Douglas's most advanced fighter jet should be the F-15, but... it's just a mediocrely designed aircraft. You could say it doesn't have any of the characteristics of a third-generation fighter jet. It doesn't utilize leading-edge extensions, it doesn't have canards, and its shape is very ordinary. It relies entirely on its powerful engine to achieve its flying performance.

Even if this aircraft were brought out, it would still be met with criticism from people in the East.

Let's switch to a different track then!
"Hmph, McDonnell Douglas's foundation is something your Eastern countries can't compare to. We have powerful aviation research and development capabilities; in the field of passenger aircraft, McDonnell Douglas is the strongest..."

In fact, before merging with Douglas Aircraft Company, McDonnell's main business was military aircraft. The people who developed military aircraft were all former McDonnell employees. Since they couldn't compete in their area of ​​expertise, they decided to compete in passenger aircraft!
"Our DC-10 pioneered the trend of three-engine intercontinental passenger aircraft, with a maximum takeoff weight of 260 tons, and you..."

Hills stopped abruptly before he could finish speaking. Oh no, he had just been feeding the enemy kills.

Sure enough, Qin Liang smiled.

"Coincidentally, our C929 is also in this class, with a maximum cruising speed of Mach 0.98. What about yours?"

Hills fell silent.

"Shall we talk about fuel consumption rate again?"

The fuel consumption rate of a three-engine passenger plane is definitely not as good as that of a twin-engine one!
"We need two people to drive. How many do you need?"

"Our McDonnell Douglas MD-82 is an excellent short-to-medium range passenger aircraft..."

"Yes, this is indeed a gap in our knowledge. Our C919 is also a bit too big in comparison, so... it's time for us to start our third passenger aircraft project, let's call it C909, targeting the McDonnell Douglas MD-82 and Boeing 737..."

Hills' heart sank. Damn it, this market was already saturated. If you come in and use your cost advantage to squeeze out other competitors, then McDonnell Douglas will really have no way to survive!
McDonnell Douglas's most powerful aircraft was the DC-10. Unfortunately, since its introduction, this aircraft has had serious technical defects. First, there was a defect in the tail door, which would open in mid-air. Then there were problems with the engine. After causing 14 air crashes, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded the DC-10.

A few years later, after finally surviving these disasters, in 79, the DC-10 suffered three major air crashes in a few months. As a result, the DC-10's reputation collapsed, and the infamous "three-shot curse" spread all over the world.

The only profitable aircraft McDonnell Douglas was the MD-80, a twin-engine, short-to-medium-range passenger aircraft developed based on the DC-9, with the MD-82 being an upgraded version.

In the 1980s, McDonnell Douglas survived on this aircraft until the 1990s, when the upgraded McDonnell Douglas MD-90 performed poorly and the company could no longer sustain itself.

Now, Easterners have also seen the shortcomings in their product layout. The C919 and C929 are both large passenger aircraft, the kind that can fly intercontinentally, while what the international aviation market needs most are actually regional jets!
"What, you're not saying anything? Why is your face so pale? Hey, Mr. Hills, are you about to faint? Don't try to scam us!" Qin Liang's words made Hills' eyes roll back, his vision go black, and he really fainted!

"Quick, quick, someone come here and take him to the school clinic!"

Swift watched helplessly from the sidelines.

This Qin Liang is really...

With his meddling, McDonnell Douglas has completely lost face!
"Qin, it's not appropriate to have McDonnell Douglas doing menial tasks. How about this: the research and development will still be conducted here, but the results will be submitted to McDonnell Douglas for review..."

The review process elevates their status significantly! McDonnell Douglas is willing to do it, and they don't need to worry about conflict with Northwestern Polytechnical University, making it easier to explain to Congress...

"No way! We've offended McDonnell Douglas today. If they're the ones doing the review, they'll definitely make things difficult for us. Besides, our Northwestern Polytechnical University projects are only reviewed by the client, not by a competitor!" Qin Liang still disagreed.

“Qin, I hope you can understand the difficulties our U.S. Navy faces. Without the participation of our American aircraft manufacturers, this project really wouldn’t be able to proceed,” Swift said.

"Then you have to understand our difficulties. We Northwestern Polytechnical University students are born with a kind of pride..."

"As long as you agree to our requirements, the $50 million in R&D funding for the first year will be in your account within a week!"

This……

Qin Liang's eyes darted around: "Alright, then we'll make a sacrifice."

Is this it?

Sure enough, in the end, it all comes down to money!

School hospital.

Micah Hills opened his eyes and looked at the white-coated doctors standing beside him: "Damn it, who are you people? I don't need you Easterners to treat me. Our American technology is the most advanced!"

“Mr. Hills, thanks to General Swift’s mediation, the Easterners have agreed to let us act as the auditors…”

"is it?"

Hills slowly calmed down, and then... a smile appeared on his face. "Hmph, they've got us in charge of the auditing? We'll make the most of that power..."

Suddenly, he sat up in bed.

"What time is it now?"

"July 3rd, afternoon..."

So, if I calculate it that way, I was unconscious for half a day?
Hmph, it's all because of those Easterners, let's get our revenge now!
"Mr. Hills, your health..."

"I'm fine! Come on, let's go to work!"

On the campus of Northwestern Polytechnical University, a small, detached building bears a sign that reads "Temporary Office for Project A-12." Once the new campus is completed, these external cooperation projects will be housed in a designated area on the new campus. Any leaks will then occur between the projects themselves…

Russians, Americans, Europeans... who knows how many sparks will fly when these people get together?
At this moment, a voice sounded.

"The overall design of this aircraft has major problems! It has to be completely redesigned!"

Upon hearing the voice, Qin Liang, who was deep in thought, looked up at the person opposite him: "Mr. Edgar, if I may be frank, your F/A-18 fighter jets are simply not viable. In terms of air combat interception, they cannot compete with the F-14, and in terms of long-range attack, they cannot compete with our existing A-12 project. Therefore, if you set obstacles for us for the sake of your project, then we will eventually have to part ways."

After Mitchell Hills collapsed, Edgar became the most senior person among the McDonnell Douglas visitors. That afternoon, he began reviewing the Northwestern Polytechnical University project. Clearly, he was prepared to utterly discredit the project!
As an auditor, that's all the power I have. If I say it's good, it's good; if I say it's not good, then I have to go back and revise it repeatedly until I'm satisfied!

Qin Liang needed to wake them up. "Right now, our A-12 project is your lifeline. Think about it, your passenger planes are performing poorly and are about to be squeezed out of the international market. If your military aircraft are no better, McDonnell Douglas will be bankrupt and go out of business!"

Qin Liang rolled his eyes at the other party: "You'd better not do anything stupid. After all, the A-12 project we designed needs a manufacturer. The US Navy has already made the biggest concession by letting us design it. Production will definitely take place in the United States."

Edgar's expression immediately changed.

Their F-15 was just a transitional phase. Look at them now, they've already started developing fourth-generation fighters, and Northrop is a strong contender for victory. McDonnell Douglas... no way!
Looking at their F-18, it is indeed useless. Its biggest advantage was originally its low price, but now... as the cost of this aircraft is getting higher and higher, approaching that of the F-14, there are already many complaints in the US Navy.

Perhaps this A-12 was McDonnell Douglas's last hope?
The aircraft was successfully developed and put into production by McDonnell Douglas. Although it was a bit shameful to take over someone else's research and development results, as long as it was produced, it would make money!

Thinking about this, Edgar felt conflicted.

When they came to the East, they were met with a rebuff and didn't get any benefits!
They originally wanted to take the lead, but unexpectedly, the Easterners only ever had them do odd jobs. Now that they're in charge of the review, they just wanted to show off their power, but... they ended up having to cooperate?

I can't swallow this... but... it seems the other party wasn't wrong!
Next…

"By the way, are you aware of our project to give European fighter jets a makeover?"

Has the topic surrounding Qin Liang changed again?

With curiosity, Edgar nodded: "Yes, of course I know."

"Stealth technology is already a trend. If your garbage Hornets want to be taken seriously by the Navy, they'll need a facelift. Just a simple modification to the nose can reduce their radar cross-section by a level, without affecting other performance characteristics. Need my help?"

Qin Liang had long guessed that the US Navy would bring American aircraft manufacturers with them, and upon analysis, McDonnell Douglas was the most likely candidate. Therefore, he had already devised a way to deceive them.

They wanted to lead the project, so they certainly wouldn't give it to us themselves. In the end, all that was left was the right to review the project, which could only be given to the Americans. The U.S. Navy commissioned McDonnell Douglas, and Northwestern Polytechnical University couldn't do anything about it.

Therefore, we need to find a way to bring McDonnell Douglas into Northwestern Polytechnical University's camp.

The US Navy is really bad. They saw McDonnell Douglas and Northwestern Polytechnical University at odds, but insisted on having McDonnell Douglas conduct the review, thinking that this would put them at ease.

It only takes a few minutes to bring McDonnell Douglas to our side!

First, there's the issue of A-12 production. If McDonnell Douglas wants to continue producing military aircraft, it has to accept Northwestern Polytechnical University's design; otherwise... the deal falls apart, the project is terminated, and McDonnell Douglas will be the one to suffer!
Another method is to help them modify the giant insects.

The unique designation F/A-18 was given to McDonnell Douglas's newest fighter jet, along with the nickname "Hornet," but the U.S. Navy didn't like it.

On the surface, he seems to be proficient in everything, but in reality, he's mediocre at everything!
They say they can fly supersonic, but with bombs attached, they can't even reach that speed! And they can't attach the Phoenix!

When the F-14 fighter jets were retired, the U.S. Navy lost its long-range interception capability!
The combination of the 300-kilometer AWG-9 radar and the 100-kilometer Phoenix missile was once the most powerful interceptor weapon in the US Navy. However, with the Hornet, it can only carry the Sparrow missile, or at most the AIM-120, gaining an interception capability of 50 kilometers.

Even worse, it can't fly at supersonic speeds after being armed!

It can't out-intercept the Tomcat, and it can't out-ground attack the A-6. Its only advantage is that it's cheap. The problem is that the cost is rising, and in the end it's not cheaper than the Tomcat.

This useless thing was disliked by everyone in the Navy, from top to bottom; they all disdainfully called it the "big bug."

However, this aircraft is quite resilient.

In later years, the Tomcat was retired, the A-6 was retired, and the decks of the US Navy's aircraft carriers were filled with giant bugs, which they had to use whether they wanted to or not!

After all, the A-12 project was canceled, the NATF project was canceled, and they didn't have a suitable aircraft to use. They could only modify the Big Bug into a Super Big Bug and make do with it while waiting for the F-35 to arrive.

The project's official code name is F/A-18E/F, but it's just a matter of changing the original circular air intake to a square CARET air intake and adding radar-absorbing materials, which reduces the radar cross-section to 1.1 square meters.

Based on this, if we further modify the shape of the machine head and reduce it to below 0.5 square meters, there shouldn't be much of a problem.

“How is that possible? If the weapon isn’t internally mounted, its stealth capabilities can’t be improved.” Edgar shook his head.

"If it's not internally mounted, we can install a closed weapons bay! What's so difficult about that? Europe has already accepted our modifications; we have a complete solution!"

"Okay!" Just then, a voice came from outside.

When Michar Hills came out of the hospital, Qin Liang knew that what he was saying was actually aimed at the guy standing at the door. Now, the guy was indeed tempted!
With one stealth aircraft project after another being put on the agenda, everyone knows that the era of stealth aircraft has arrived!
McDonnell Douglas doesn't have much technology for stealth aircraft, so modifying the Bumblebee wouldn't be easy. It would be better to hand it over to the East... After that modification, their Bumblebee would have a brighter future!
At this moment, McDonnell Douglas would never know that the so-called advanced fourth-generation fighter jet had been tricked by Qin Liang into a ditch. It was unknown whether it could be developed at all, and even if it was, the number of aircraft to be equipped would only be around one hundred.

The mainstay of the U.S. Air Force is still the F-15, and the export momentum of this aircraft is also very strong, so it can be used for another 20 years without any problem!
Now, with the overwhelming trend of stealth aircraft, they think that existing aircraft will soon become obsolete.

“Mr. Hills, what brings you here? Your health…”

"I'm fine. Tell me, can you modify the nose of our Bumblebee to give it stealth capabilities?"

"Of course, that's not difficult for us!"

"The research and development funding..."

"You don't need to contribute any funds; our A-12 attack aircraft project has ample funding."

This means that as long as McDonnell Douglas doesn't cause trouble, Northwestern Polytechnical University can completely divert the A-12 attack aircraft's R&D funds to modify the nose of the Hornet!
The McDonnell Douglas team was overjoyed: "Great, great, great, when shall we begin?"

"When you send us all the design drawings for Bumblebee."

The joy at the scene came to an abrupt end.

Say what?

You want us to give you the blueprints? Wouldn't that be giving you all the secrets of our aircraft?
"Mr. Qin, could you... just give us the first half of the blueprints? After all, we're only modifying the engine head..."

"That's fine too, but don't come looking for trouble if the nose and rear don't match. After all, changing the nose changes the airflow. You can finish the fuselage matching work yourselves, no problem..."

The people present looked at each other.

Give me the information? I'm unwilling, but I'm also afraid that the earlier modifications might affect the later ones.

"Mr. Qin, if we give you all the blueprints, how long will it take to revise them?"

"It won't be long, one or two years will be enough."

"Alright, then I'll give you all the blueprints!"

It wasn't a high-end model anyway, so it's fine as it is...

The Asians present wore smiles and thought to themselves, "Qin Liang is amazing! We've probably gotten our hands on all the blueprints for the Americans' current aircraft. These planes will no longer be any secrets from us!"
"By the way, Mr. Qin, you were talking about the regional jet project this morning, would you like to...?"

"Yes, regional jets do need to be developed. If McDonnell Douglas is interested, we can cooperate to develop an advanced regional jet to compete with the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320. This aircraft cannot be simply modified from the old planes. McDonnell Douglas only thinks about profits all day long and is never willing to invest in research and development. This will not do!"

Mitchell Hills' idea was to sell the McDonnell Douglas-82 to the East and make a profit from the patent fees. He never expected that the other party would want to develop a completely new one.

"What, you're not interested? Then we'll go to Boeing..."

"Interested, interested!"

(End of this chapter)